Double Bass Question regarding Bow Quivers

[KSB - Ken Smith]

wether it be a bow holder, Bow Stand, Bow Hook or Bow Quiver, make sure this one thing; Don't break the tip !!.. I don't know what kind of Bows you guys use, but in today's dollars the Bows I have used range from 2-10k.. I would never use any device other than a padded Quiver.

If you drop your Bow on the Tip in a hurry down a Plastic tube, you may easily damage the tip or even break it. Once you do, your Bow has lost Most or All of it's Value even if it can be repaired. I see the best device being the Leather/Vinyl Bow Quiver attached to the Tailpiece or nothing at all.... That's just my opinion....

 

[Don Higdon]

Good point. Hanging from a hook at the frog gets around this. I use a quiver made for the job.

 

[Snakewood]

Can I quiver deaden the vibrations of the top or tailpiece? I do mainly arco but for certain orchestral passages ie ravel I need to be able to swap back and forth very quickly.

 

[Chasarms]

With the preface of saying I consider myself to be as goofy as the next guy when it comes to bass tone hyperbole, I honestly think my bass sounds better without the quiver on it.

I still use it, but I do think that.

 

[Bob Gollihur]

No doubt a quiver has an effect, but I can't say that I can usually hear any negative consequences.

My Juzek had a horrible wolf a few years ago, and adding a quiver made it disappear. That was a welcome difference.

 

[Silversorcerer]

Can I quiver deaden the vibrations of the top or tailpiece? I do mainly arco but for certain orchestral passages ie ravel I need to be able to swap back and forth very quickly.

This was a topic in that book we all love, so I did an experiment to see if I could detect any difference when I removed my quiver. For the record, I may have one of the heaviest hardwood tail pieces to ever grace a bass. I could detect a slight difference on the BB and EE strings. On the other strings, I'd need better ears, or maybe there's no effect there. It was not enough difference for me to give up my TP tied on quiver. Mine's a thick leather one made by Meisel. I have to switch quickly sometimes and the quiver on the TP is the easiest way to be able to do that. I've only noticed a vibration very rarely. I just loosened the bottom tie a bit and it changed the way the thing hangs enough to get rid of it.

 

[Marc Piane]

Have you guys ever had a quiver effect the finish on the top of the bass? My ply bass as a bit of a spot under the quiver that the finish has begun to rub off. I have one on my Shen Willow but I don't want to harm the finish if I can avoid it.

 

[bassist1962]

Everybody seems to have quivers from Lemur. Does anyone have one from Upton? If so, how is its construction. I am looking at getting one, and am glad that I found this thread. Not having money to play with, I am trying to make the best investment for not a lot of cash.

 

[Marc Piane]

I have a Kolstein on my Shen. $35. Lined. Padded. Lightweight.

 

[Basschair]

Everybody seems to have quivers from Lemur. Does anyone have one from Upton? If so, how is its construction. I am looking at getting one, and am glad that I found this thread. Not having money to play with, I am trying to make the best investment for not a lot of cash.

I've got one on order, and can let you know when it comes...I also have a Lemur one, so can compare if you'd like.

 

[stiv1]

I just thought I would chime in and recommend this particular quiver ...Link Removed

Certainly more pricey than the norm but they look beautiful and function as they should. The website states that the quiver is a bit smaller than average which I quite like as the quiver doesn't dwarf the tailpiece. They will also stitch in a cool little pencil holder if requested.

 

[Marc Piane]

Have you guys ever had a quiver effect the finish on the top of the bass? My ply bass as a bit of a spot under the quiver that the finish has begun to rub off. I have one on my Shen Willow but I don't want to harm the finish if I can avoid it.

Anyone???

 

[Bob Gollihur]

Anyone???

Not me.

I've got my quivers lashed to the tailpieces with enough play to give me the proper grab angle but not so much as to contact the basses.

My .02 = get a quiver that has enough body and stiffness to it, along with a smooth inside finish. If not they can either grab or block the bow coming out or going back in.

 

[Bob Branstetter]

Can I quiver deaden the vibrations of the top or tailpiece? I do mainly arco but for certain orchestral passages ie ravel I need to be able to swap back and forth very quickly.

Any time you add weight to any vibrating part of a bass there is going to be a certain amount of sound loss, but the convenience that is gained with a quiver usually far out weighs the small amount of sound loss. However, I always remove my quiver any time I'm in a recording studio.

 

[bassist1962]

I've got one on order, and can let you know when it comes...I also have a Lemur one, so can compare if you'd like.

That would be wonderful, Thanks.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I've got an Upton. It is sized well and certainly does the job. The leather is not the highest quality. It is stiff and buzzes if it touches the bass. The Reunion Blues can be found online for a little more money and it looks like a good bet also.

 

[Silversorcerer]

Have you guys ever had a quiver effect the finish on the top of the bass? My ply bass as a bit of a spot under the quiver that the finish has begun to rub off. I have one on my Shen Willow but I don't want to harm the finish if I can avoid it.

I was noticing a slight finish dulling where my quiver rubs on the bass. I think it is happening when it is in the case. My solution was to glue a small strip of cotton corduroy (stealth black, you can't even see it there) to the back of the quiver edge where it was rubbing. I think with a little polishing the shine will be revived, but it was one of those "*** now?" moments when I noticed it. Not a really big deal.

 

[bassist1962]

I've got an Upton. It is sized well and certainly does the job. The leather is not the highest quality. It is stiff and buzzes if it touches the bass. The Reunion Blues can be found online for a little more money and it looks like a good bet also.

Thanks, I will check that one out as well.

 

[Masters2010]

I'm a Kolstein kind of guy, had it for 5 years, never had a problem with it.

 

[Basschair]

That would be wonderful, Thanks.

Okay, it only took me almost a month to get back to this, but I do have results.

The Upton quiver is fairly stiff, though the quiver from Lemur (brown) is quite stiff as well. The Upton has more clearance, so it's an easier shot to get the bow back into it quickly. With either one, I would suggest orienting it so that it is slightly in front of the tailpiece, tied tightly, and then the excess lengths of leather string are trimmed so that they don't cause unwanted vibrating.

As an aside, I've got another quiver that (I believe) was purchased from Lemur years ago. It's a Reunion Blues quiver, black, and is about the same size as the Upton quiver. It is definitely softer, and there's a seam in the lip where bow hair can get caught when extracting the bow. Aside from that, it's been a good quiver until some recent unwanted vibrations, which could be due to the leather strings stretching a bit and allowing it to come into contact with the bass top.

All three work, or can be made to work, though that hang-up on the Reunion Blues one is a drag. The Upton is cheaper (nice), but will take some trimming of the strings.